An imaginative mum has come up with a way of helping out families during the pandemic, while supporting local suppliers and boosting donations to Windsor Foodshare.

Katja Balmes, who lives in Illingworth and has two daughters, contacted two local suppliers with her idea when the first lockdown struck.

She would promote them and collect orders from neighbours and friends.

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The orders are placed twice a week and delivered to her home and from there people can collect their bi-weekly shop - reducing the need for numerous energy guzzling car trips by shoppers and suppliers.

She set up a website www.ecoop.uk and was soon working closely with five locally based traders.

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She also adds the option for people to add a small percentage to their bill, as donations to Windsor Foodshare.

With this extra money she buys fruit and vegetables from the same suppliers which go to some 80 families who use Foodshare.

Simon Long (Windsor Foodshare donations manager) said: “For some time now we wanted to provide fresh fruit and veg but we couldn’t find an efficient and cost-effective way of achieving this – until now. Every Thursday Katja delivers an abundance of fruit and veg which is more important than ever as our customers are with us for months at a time."

Katja said; “It’s a win, win, Windsor Foodshare has a regular supply of quality fresh fruit and veg, local suppliers have regular business, packaging is kept to an absolute minimum and the number of trips to purchase food is less.”